Jeff Bridges Has a New Album [VIDEO]

Actor Jeff Bridges performs during his sound check ahead of his concert at Troubadour club in West Hollywood, California, June 28, 2011. Photo: REUTERS

Actor Jeff Bridges released a new album Tuesday, and he celebrated by performing on NBC's "The Today Show."

Bridges, 61-years-old, said the album is a dream come true.

"I've been doing it since I've been a teen until now," he told Matt Lauer on Today. "It's been really a big part of my life."

Bridges is no stranger to music. He won his first Academy Award for his role as country singer Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film, "Crazy Heart." But are there any similarities between his new album, "Jeff Bridges" and the "Crazy Heart" soundtrack?

"Some of these songs . . . were songs that were considered for 'Crazy Heart' but there's only so many slots you can fill," he said Tuesday on the morning show.

"Jeff Bridges" is produced by T-Bone Burnett, who has previously worked with the Counting Crows, Tony Bennett, Elvis Costello, B. B. King and John Mellencamp. Burnett also produced and won an Academy Award for the music to "Crazy Heart."

Early reviews of "Jeff Bridges" have mostly been positive.

"Bridges' leathery voice makes this music sound lived in . . . 'What a Little Bit of Love Can Do' is the highlight, a pep-talk-turned-come-on from an earthy singer as affable as his film characters," said Will Hermes of Rolling Stone.

"Buying 'Jeff Bridges' would be less of a folly than ordering a Meryl Streep cookbook," wrote The New York Times.

Fresh from an Aug. 10 performance on Austin City Limits, Bridges is scheduled to appear at the "Big Lebowski Cast Reunion Party" in New York City on Tuesday night. The actor is also embarking on more tour dates in support of his new album, with stops in California and Washington.

More about Jeff Bridges:

The Los Angeles native has been in the movie business since the late '60s.

His films range from "The Last Picture Show" (1971) to "Tron" (1982), "The Big Lebowski" (1998) to "True Grit" (2010).

Bridges has been nominated for six Academy Awards; his latest nomination was for his role of Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit."

In 2000, Bridges released "Be Here Soon," an LP that included the reggae-rich song "Movin'."